Daughter of the Lion - Part Two - Chapter Four

[kalinara]

Last time, Keely and Ian made some plans, and then Keely and Aileen had a heart to heart about marriage. And maybe it's just because I ended up rereading my old Shapechanger recaps recently, but I've got a renewed fondness for this book if only for the fact that Keely is able to have this discussion.

As irritating as I tend to find Keely, and as contrived as I find some of the circumstances, I actually do appreciate how this book both allows Keely to feel the way she does, without punishing her for it, and gives her people to talk to about it. Especially women.

When I judge the book on its own standards, it can be frustrating, but it is admittedly a very far cry from what came before.



So we rejoin Keely at Joyenne. She waits for two days, restless and distracted, until the messenger comes with a summons. We're told that Brennan thinks it's a bit odd, but "did nothing more than remark upon it", while Aileen is sad to see Keely go. Keely feels a bit guilty, but decides she can't tell Aileen the real reason she's going.

I suppose I do understand Keely's hesitation in this particular case, since Aileen's been through a lot very recently.

We get a nice description/explanation of Joyenne, with a bit of a continuity snag:

In Shaine's time it had belonged to Fergus, his brother, passing on Fergus' death to Carillon, to become the country dwelling of the Prince of Homana. Since then it had remained so, although Carillon had had little time to live in it, or Donal, or my father. Now it passed to Brennan, but he also was kept close in Homana-Mujhar. Joyenne was often empty, save for the servants keeping it in trust for absent landlords.

It was Fergus's property, yes, but Fergus actually dies in the battle leading up to Carillon's capture by Atvia. They pretty much go straight to Shaine after he's rescued, and then Shaine dies and Carillon is exiled. It was a brief prison for Carillon's mom, but then drops off the face of the world in terms of significance. Neither Donal nor Niall ever mentioned it.

But I do like this, in the same way that I like that Deirdre has ladies in waiting and we actually see servants named and mentioned. It makes Homana feel more like an actual kingdom than a placeholder.

So Brennan walks out with her, offering her a horse. She declines, preferring lir shape. (He doesn't seem to be holding a grudge anymore about the way she lost the last one.) He speculates a bit about what the summons might be about, suggesting that perhaps Liam's sent word wanting a marriage.

Keely suggests it could be Corin, planning to visit. Brennan notes that he'd expect to be included in the message too, then, which makes Keely possessive and jealous.

Resentment flickered briefly, then died. Lightly, I said, "Corin is my twin, not yours."

Brennan, understanding, merely rocked on his heels a moment, smiling wryly, locking thumbs into his belt. "Oh, aye, of course . . . but we shared something, he and I, in Valgaard, fighting Strahan. We are not the enemies we once were."

Again the resentment flickered. Corin had always been mine, in a manner of speaking, linked by birth and temperament. He and Brennan had never been close because Corin had long wanted the Homanan title and the promise of the Lion; later, he had even wanted Brennan's bride. Brennan had always claimed Hart as a boon companion, twin-born even as Corin and I were, which left the Mujhar's legitimate children evenly divided by habit as well as birth.

But Brennan spoke the truth: in Valgaard, battling Strahan, he and Corin had indeed shared something. Out of resentment and jealousy a new respect had been born.

The twin dynamic in this generation is interesting, and sadly one that really doesn't get explored very much. The boys are only in the same chapter at the beginning of Pride of Princes, and while Keely makes a quick appearance at the beginning of Corin's section, she's quickly out of the picture when he goes to Erinn. It's a bit of a shame, really.

One thing I have noticed, and an interesting commonality between these two characters, is that both twin relationships seem a little one-sided. In Brennan's section of Pride of Princes (in between incidents of kidnapping and torture), there were quite a few references to missing Hart, wishing Hart were around, and Niall and Deirdre noting that sending Hart away was more of a punishment for Brennan than anything else. But in Hart's section, he barely thought of his twin. The only time Brennan seemed to come up was when Hart thought about how he'd shirked his duties and how Brennan would have been better at the work involved.

Similarly, Keely thinks fairly often about Corin, and at least some of the massive issues that she projects on Aileen are about missing her brother. But in Corin's section, he didn't spare Keely a thought after she was gone. He apparently never even bothered to pass along her misgivings or ask Liam and Sean to reconsider for her.

I'm not sure if this is on purpose, but it is an interesting parallel between these two, somewhat adversarial characters.

Speaking of that:

He put a hand on my shoulder, holding me back. "Keely—" He broke it off, frowning, then sighed and went ahead as I waited. "You and I have shared nearly as many misunderstandings as Corin and I . . . and I regret them. Too many times we argue for the sake of argument, trying by force of will to alter opinions, convictions, ideas ... I think we would do better if we simply agreed to disagree, and let each of us do as he—or she—will."

I laughed at him. "I see Aileen has been at you."

He smiled, but there remained a trace of solemnity in his eyes. "She has said a thing or two, aye, but that is not what prompts me to speak now. We are very different, you and I, in temperament as well as desires and ambitions, but it does not mean we must be wrong, either of us." He sighed, shaking his head. "I think you are less selfish than I so often believe when you make noise about women being forced this way and that. I begin to think your concerns are legitimate, some of them, and that indeed women are made to do this or that, even against their own wishes."

I've mentioned before that it is a little bit odd to put Brennan in the position of adversary in this book, given that he's literally the only protagonist we've had who actually has ever considered that a woman might be being abused or coerced by the men in power over her. And I'd even include Keely here, since, for all that her own concerns are legitimate, she never really seems all that concerned about Maeve. Or any other woman in the kingdom that she isn't projecting onto.

And to be fair, Keely isn't a mind-reader, and Brennan is not apt to confide in her. So I can appreciate that this is a new reveal to her. I do, irrationally, resent that Brennan is crediting Keely with this turnaround when, as we saw in Pride of Princes, it actually had more to do with Maeve. (I just hate the way the books treat Maeve in general.)

There is a bit that makes me laugh here:

"It is not a Cheysuli way to make decisions for our women," he said intently, "and yet all too often I see those decisions being made for you. It is unfair; Maeve is free to do as she pleases, to wed whomever she desires to wed—though the gods know I pray those desires no longer include Teirnan—and yet you are made to wed into Erinn merely to satisfy a prophecy that some Cheysuli no longer believe or serve."

Roberson, I JUST reread my Shapechanger recaps. I remember what happened when Alix tried to say no to Duncan. I also remember how THIS BOOK stated that Maeve had to go officially renounce her "meijha vows" to Teirnan, despite the fact that the guy is a literal traitor to the kingdom at this point.

Oh, and speaking of Maeve.

"Birth," I told him flatly. "Do you think for one moment that if Maeve were legitimate, she would be allowed that freedom?" I shook my head. "No indeed . . . and I would be willing to wager she would be wed to Sean in my place, leaving me to be whatever I desired to be."

"And so now you will resent her for that as well." Brennan's tone was clipped and cool, betraying his favoritism. Save for Hart he was closest to Maeve of us all, sharing her confidences—and yet I wondered how much she was willing to share after all, even with him; it was me she had told of the child. Teirnan's bastard halfling.

Yeah, and exactly how much empathy did you show Maeve when she told you, Keely?

The thing that's frustrating about this is that the book does have an interesting subtext when it comes to Maeve. Keely openly resents Maeve because Maeve is not forced into marriage. She's got "freedom" in being illegitimate that Keely envies.

Keely seems to be completely oblivious to the fact that Maeve is uniquely vulnerable. She's a bastard, not a princess, and subject to the scorn of the Homanan people. We saw, subtly, in Track of the White Wolf, how hard that was. It was one of the very few ways Lillith was able to provoke Ian, during their initial meeting. Isolde outright fled to the Keep. Maeve, being culturally Erinnish (in a way that does not entirely make sense considering she's lived with Niall and company since she was a toddler, but fine), doesn't seem to have any built in ties to the Cheysuli, and the Keep is not a refuge for her.

Maeve has all the vulnerability of being a woman in this setting, but none of the protection of being a Princess nor any of Keely's special powers, and Teirnan takes advantage of that. And it'd be interesting if the book actually had Keely realize it. But thus far, Keely only expresses sympathy for Princesses in arranged marriages. Not anyone else.

Maeve tangent aside, Keely and Brennan are still sharing a moment. There's even a cute bit where she suggests that his peace-making is an attempt to avoid their future rematch, and then Keely even tries to return the understanding, in a way.

Clearly he was troubled. And though he said many of the things I had tried to make him hear from me for years, I found myself defending the practices if only to make him feel better. "Well, it has always been so in royal Houses ... it is hardly a new thing, wedding sons and daughters into foreign lands." I shrugged. "As for the Cheysuli, we hold the Lion now. Sacrifices must be made. It is not always the women who suffer, though usually it is so—there is another side to it, as well." I smiled at him. "It is easy for me to look at Aileen and see a woman forced to marry you. But the same was required of you, rujho . . . and what if you had wanted another woman?"

I don't really think this counts as defending the practice, really, but I don't really expect Keely to. I do rather appreciate her attempt at sibling empathy though. The question is a bit awkward, though, considering the whole Rhiannon issue.

Brennan said nothing. My question was innocent enough, but between us rose the specter of Rhiannon, daughter of Ian and Lillith, and meijha to the Prince of Homana. She had made her presence felt in Homana-Mujhar, and in Brennan's bed. He had not, I knew, loved her, but there was more to it than simple lust.

Something stirred inside me. Something of fear and unease. Ensorcellment. That only. Brennan could never truly care for an Ihlini.

Yeah, that's rape. I do appreciate Keely for being the only one to actually comment on the fact that Rhiannon outright admitted to fucking with his head, though.

And wow, I have to say, for someone trying to show empathy, Keely is really good at twisting the knife:

"Aye," I agreed. "There is a child, rujho. Somewhere. Probably in Valgaard, with Strahan, at the Gate of Asar-Suti." I drew in a deep breath. "What if it is a boy? All this talk of Aidan's fragility, the need for me to marry Sean so as to insure the proper bloodline . . . what if the child you sired on Rhiannon is a boy? Ihlini, illegitimate—but still the son of the Prince of Homana, and grandson to the Mujhar. The gods know the Homanan rebels tried hard enough to put forth Carillon's bastard for the Lion, and some even say Caro had more right than our jehan . . . according to Homanan law, a son of your loins could petition for a hearing on the legitimacy of his claim. Even a son gotten on an Ihlini woman."

His jaw was hard as stone. "Such a petition would never be granted."

"No, of course not—but the claim could be made. Look at the turmoil when Elek put forth Caro's name ... it nearly divided the Homanan Council. It could have cost our jehan the throne."

"Teir is bad enough," he said tightly. "Gods, he is a fool—but I would sooner deal with him than deal with Rhiannon."

Oof. Remind me not to get on Keely's good side. I think she might have been gentler to him when accusing him of marital rape.

She's not wrong though, and that's something we can happily blame Donal for. He didn't have to allow that travesty at all, and the fact that he did just made things harder for Niall, AND established a nasty precedent.

It makes perfect sense that Keely would be thinking about all this. Really, they all should be thinking about the fact that Strahan is repeatedly targeting them, that Ihlini have succeeded in capturing, raping, and torturing members of their family over and over again.

But the fact that, for the first fourteen chapters of this book, this concern hadn't really come up until this moment, it's hard not to read it as at least subconsciously malicious.

Anyway, having ruined her brother's day, Keely flies off. It's pretty much that abrupt. Hell, here's the excerpt:

"Gods," Brennan muttered, "I curse that Ihlini witch."

"Ihlini and Cheysuli." I glanced at him in concern, disliking the look in his eyes. Not knowing what to say. "I must go, rujho. Tend Aileen well. She is worth the care."

There's even a point where, flying away, Keely glances down at her brother:

Below me, so far below, my brother stood caged in ocher stone, staring upward, shielding human eyes. Watching the falcon mount the skies and fly, reaching toward the sun. And I knew a moment's pleasure, sharp and intense, that he was not as I. Cheysuli, aye, and therefore blessed. Capable of sloughing off human flesh for the fur of a mountain cat, to run on four legs in the deep-shadowed woods. But still he could not fly.

An earthbound soul, my brother's.

Mine knew no limitations.

Wow. Okay then. Have fun thinking about your rapist and torturers on the ground there, buddy.

So anyway, it takes a paragraph for Keely to fly to the woods near Clankeep and find Rory again. I still don't understand the point of this. If the goal is to find out if Sean is alive, then she should be flying toward Erinn, not the dude who's on the run and not likely to get any messengers.

Anyway, she decides to spy on them in falcon shape, and she reflects on how it's a child's trick to spy and sneak up on each other in lir form. (She remembers Brennan and Hart tormenting Corin with it, and then getting revenge for Corin with her own lir shape. The recollection is pretty cute.)

Rory's doing some sword drills with someone, giving Keely a chance to observe his technique. Sadly the match stops without a victor, giving Keely the chance to make a dramatic entrance.

Inwardly, I laughed. Time for truths, I thought, and pushed myself off the bough.

Midway down, I changed. Traded wings for arms, feathers for flesh, talons for booted feet. I heard curses, caught breaths, muttered petitions to the gods of Erinn. By then I was on the ground, standing squarely in front of Rory. Laughing at them all, but mostly at his expression.

"Try me with a blade," I challenged. "Sundown means nothing to me; I can see in the dark."

So she's definitely giving up on pretending to be a Homanan peasant, I think:

Then he scratched his beard. "Lass," he said lightly, " 'tis a poor way of stealing a horse to come in so boldly as this."

I grinned. "Aye, if I wanted the horse. And if I did, I would have taken him easily; do you think a Cheysuli knows nothing of stealth?"

At least I hope she is, given that she's female and blond. And it doesn't take much to connect those traits with the royal house. And it seems like Rory has:

"Oh, aye," I agreed, affecting his lilt, "a wee bit more than illusion. Would you care to see it again?" I spread my hands. "Name your animal, Redbeard ... I can be them all."

The light was behind him, blinding me to his expression. But his tone was eloquent: disapproval, disappointment. A reassessment of me. "Lass, you lied to me."

It was not what I expected. In no way. Not from a man such as he.

I stared at him. Amusement died away. Something twisted in my belly. "There was need."

"Was there?" He sheathed his sword with a hiss and click. "Was there?"

Um, dude. If you recall, you met this girl in the woods when she was running for her life. You grabbed her by the hair and stole her knife. Then you stole her horse. You're fucking outlaws, and for all Keely knew, you'd try to ransom her back or something.

Pretending to be a commoner was one of the only actually intelligent things Keely's done in this book so far, so back the fuck off, dude.

And sadly, it's working:

Part of me was angry that he, a man of no honor, of exile, could take me to task for lying. Part of me was angry. Part of me was ashamed.

Fuck that shit. And if I remember this by the end of the story, I'm going to be angry yet again.

So anyway, Keely's here to ask questions. And I realize that neither she nor Ian actually bothered to discuss what she's supposed to ask him.

Is Sean dead? I asked. Did you murder your brother, Rory?

But I asked it of myself, afraid to hear the truth.

Keely, per his own story, he doesn't know. And unfortunately, Rory's as stupid as she is.

or a moment, only a moment, I did not understand. And then I recalled why I had come. "How long?" I asked. "We need to know how long it was before you sailed, so we can judge if Liam has sent—or will send—a message bearing word of Sean's death." I saw the widening of his eyes, then the downward lancing of his brows, the interlocking of them. "Do you see?" I asked. "If you have been here long enough—if you sailed from Erinn at once, and have been here long enough—chances are good Sean recovered. Liam would send word at once of his death—" I shrugged, "—to the Mujhar, to Deirdre, to Aileen—"

"—and to you?" Eyes narrowed, Rory nodded. "Aye, I know you, lass, now—'tis not so difficult to realize you're no arms-master's daughter, not coming here with such words in your mouth." He sighed, frowned blackly at the ground, picked at a tear in his leggings. "A matter of timing, is it? To decide if 'tis time to cast a net for another fish?" His head came up slowly. His eyes were black with anger. "So soon you bury Sean and look for a new husband?"

I nearly dropped the wineskin. "No!"

"Well, I'll have none of it." He jerked his head in a westerly direction. "Send to Liam yourself, girl . . . see what he has to say. I'll give you no word of when we left or how long we've been in Homana if you'll be using it to replace my brother in your halfwitted shapechanger prophecy."

The fuck?

She just wants to know if her fiance is dead, you nitwit. But also, this does reinforce how completely unnecessary this is. Just call fucking Liam.

lace my brother in your halfwitted shapechanger prophecy."

Astonished, I nearly gaped. And then I laughed aloud, disregarding the look in his eyes, the set of jaw beneath the beard. "You are the one who murdered him. You are the one who makes these questions necessary." I slung the wineskin back at him. "You are a fool, Erinnish, to think that is why I am here; to make certain of his death so I may seek out another husband." Slowly, I shook my head. "You know nothing about me, nothing at all ... or surely you would know that is the very last thing I would do."

Rory unstoppered the skin and drank, then nodded idly. "Aye, lass, I know little enough . . . only that you lied."

God, this is fucking infuriating. She doesn't owe you anything, you fucking creep.

"No, only stubborn." Rory bent, caught a wrist, pulled me to my feet. "Come with me, lass. I'm thinking you might want to see the bright boyo, to know he's well looked after."

I kind of hate this guy. I really do.

Anyway, conversation goes back to Sean. Keely asserts that she just wants to know how long it's been, and reassures this asshole that she isn't trying to ditch Sean for someone else as they need the Erinnish blood.

(Which they don't, but we've been over this.)

Rory points out that Brennan and Aileen already have a son. And to his credit, seems genuinely a bit regretful when Keely points out that Aidan is sickly. He asserts that Aileen is of "healthy stock" and there'll be more.

That's when Keely decides to share Aileen's personal business with the world:

"No."

Across the colt's back, he stilled.

"No," I repeated. "Aileen miscarried of twins less than a month ago. There will be no more."

"Aileen," he said sharply, and I recalled they knew one another. Aileen herself had said so.

...I mean, if Rory is Sean's half-brother, then he's also AILEEN's half-brother, you half-wit.

Sorry, but goddamn, Keely is stupid sometimes.

Rory definitely sounds worried about her, pointing out that men have set aside barren wives. And Keely defends him while being inwardly very passive aggressive:

Rory's tone was taut. "Men set aside barren wives."

"Brennan has said he would not."

The flesh under his eyes twitched. "It does him credit, that."

I said nothing of Homanan law forbidding it. For one, Brennan would have refused even if it were allowed. He had made it plain.

...then why did you even think that? (Also, this contradicts the point made earlier that this is the one reason Brennan COULD have set the marriage aside. But whatever, it clearly kills Keely to give her brother any credit.)

So anyway, Keely explains that, if Aidan dies, they're without Erinnish blood in the House of Homana. Which again, is not true, but it bothers me less here because Keely's a fucking idiot anyway. I'll save my arguments for when one of the smarter characters says it.

Anyway, Keely tries to explain why this is so important to the Cheysuli, and it's worth sharing it with us again:

I ran my hands, one by one, down the colt's spine, smoothing silken hair. It gave me something to do as I tried to explain the binding service Teirnan, and too many others, no longer were able to honor. "The prophecy says one day a man of all blood shall unite, in peace, four warring realms and two magic races. The Firstborn shall come again, a man born of all the power, all the gifts, to take precedence in the world." I shrugged, twisting my mouth. "You may believe it or not, as you wish, but it is what the Cheysuli live for. It is our sacred duty."

So Sean is their only other choice. And it's hard to bear children to a dead man.

Um, IS he the only choice? Why does the blood need to be from the heir to the throne? I mean, I had this question in Pride of Princes too. But why couldn't Aileen have married Corin instead, when we're dealing with the same bloodline in each brother?

I mean, as much as I dislike him in this scene, RORY is Sean's half brother. Why can't he provide the royal blood?

Rory does soften here though, saying that she'll know soon. Today, tomorrow, or maybe a month depending on the weather.

Okay, I want to know how exactly Rory managed to get here so much faster than a fucking message. But never mind.

Rory tries, belatedly, to win me over again:

"Soon," he repeated. "Today, tonight, tomorrow. Or perhaps a month from now, depending on the weather." His face was stark in the moonlight. "If Sean is dead, what will you do? What is left to you?"

"Prayer," I said succinctly. "A petition to the gods that Aidan survives to sire a son."

He judged my temper a moment, then smiled a little. "Not a daughter, then?"

Sourly, I said, "The Lion requires a male."

Rory Redbeard laughed. "Only because he's not met you."

At the risk of being a bad feminist, I think Keely would be a fucking terrible monarch. AILEEN would be fine. Maeve possibly. But Keely's has not impressed me with her ability to think critically. Or think at all.

Keely decides, randomly, out of the blue, that she trusts this guy after all. Despite him guilt-tripping her for protecting herself, and then refusing to tell her important information. She decides to confess that she doesn't want to marry Sean or "bed" him or have children.

This, of course, is suddenly her brothers' fault.

So, I was transparent. I drank, swallowed convulsively, nearly choked, plugged the skin again. "I have three brothers," I told him. "And each of them has, in different ways, showed me what men think women are for." I saw the reflexive squint of skepticism. "Even you" I pointed out, "fought Sean over a wine-girl, to decide who would take her to bed."

Rory sighed, nodding. "Aye. Aye, we did . . . but lass, there are women and there are women—"

I silenced him with a gesture. "Women are women. Men should not distinguish us dependent upon the bedding."

Oh, are we actually going to get a hint that Keely's feminism actually extends past princess level to ordinary folk? I'll go with this.

But sadly, we don't really explore that much at all. Instead, we get this:

"No," I agreed, "no more than an unblessed man can know what it is to shapechange." I sighed, crossed to him, handed down the skin. "Aileen said it best. She said when a woman gives up her virginity she also relinquishes self. She has her thoughts, aye, and her feelings, and can keep all locked away—but she can never be whole again. Never be new again. She can never be the woman she was before the man." I gestured emptily. "You have only to hear the jests regarding a woman whose maidenhead is unbroken . . . the ridicule, the insults . . . and yet when a man means to marry, he demands virginity. Certainly a king does ... or the heir who will be king."

What?

I don't...

Okay, a lot of this isn't Keely's fault. She's right that virginity is prized for women in an unfair way. But that whole "will never be whole again" is not what Aileen said or meant. And is that what you think of the women around you, Keely? No wonder you're such a bitch to Maeve!

I have more sympathy for Keely when she brings up that sailor from Pride of Princes. The one who'd said that Sean was a lusty man who would have his shapechanger princess wedded, bedded and bearing an heir in a year. It's haunted her and it made her feel like someone being used.

Rory does show some nice empathy here. He asks about children, and Keely thinks inwardly of the dangers of childbirth, and outwardly admits that babies make her uncomfortable and she doesn't feel like she has mothering in her.

That's fair. And now I'm annoyed because, having expressed a clearly childfree sentiment, I'm well aware that Keely won't end the series without having children. Because it's that kind of series.

Rory's response is interesting:

"You're not the first who's thought so, lass—"

"—but of course I will change my mind? Once I have borne a child?" I sighed wearily. "So glibly said, Rory . . . and in such ignorance."

"Is it?" He pushed himself to his feet and handed me the wineskin. "I'm thinking not, lass. I'm thinking you're only afraid."

Gods—how can he know—?

"Afraid," he repeated. "Of everything, I'm thinking . . . of wedding, of bedding, of bairns ... of lining what women face when they leave girlhood behind." His eyes were kind in the moonlight. His truth less so. "Not so different from men, my lass. Not so different from me.."

"But. you are a man," I said.

Rory shook his head. "No man is unafraid. The one who says so is a liar.

On one hand, as a childfree, asexual person, I have a kneejerk reaction to Rory's "glibness" much the same as Keely's.

But setting that part aside, he's not wrong here. Admittedly, Keely's particular fears about childbirth are specific to having a uterus. A cis man isn't going to have to worry about that. But the other worries that come from marriage, parenthood, those aren't gender or sex-specific. Hell, as we've seen from Ian and Brennan, even rape is not necessarily a gender or sex-specific concern.

(And it does make it a rather interesting touch that Ian and Brennan have had such prominent roles in this story so far, more than even pseudo-love interest Rory or absent Sean.)

Anyway, though, it's very possible that Sean has some of the same fears that Keely has. And the chapter ends with Keely wondering the same thing.